One Beef and one Dairy Veterinarian to Each Receive $5,000 Grants from AgriLabs

The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoard’s Dairyman.

In collaboration with the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), AgriLabs is offering an award to two veterinarians -- one beef and one dairy -- to encourage and fund recent graduates in their post-graduate continuing education efforts.

Named as a tribute to Bruce Wren, D.V.M., Ph.D., each award will provide $5,000 for professional-development training so these practitioners may better serve their producer-clients. Completed applications will be accepted starting on April 15, 2017 and are due no later than July 15, 2017. The presentations will be made at the annual AABP business meeting and awards luncheon.

"We are pleased to partner with AABP to bring this type of opportunity to the veterinarians who serve the large animal market," says Steve Schram, AgriLabs President and CEO. "The grants will encourage these veterinarians to remain in large animal medicine by providing a significant resource for self-directed professional development."

Developing the Innovative Award

"Continuing education is critically important to the development of skills that beef and dairy producers value," says K. Fred Gingrich II, DVM, AABP executive vice president. "Identifying the needs of cattle producers and addressing those needs is an integral component to the success of the practicing bovine veterinarian. The AgriLabs $5,000 awards are a tremendous help to those recent graduate veterinarians who desire to obtain this continuing education but may lack the financial resources to achieve these goals."

Create Your Award

The grant process allows applicants to determine the best use for the $5,000 grant from AgriLabs and judging will be based on three primary criteria:

1.The applicants' professional-development plan, which describes the skills/knowledge they would like to improve to become a more valuable resource for their producer-clients.

2.How the $5,000 will be utilized to fulfill the professional-development plan.

3.Letters of reference from three individuals (including at least one producer and one veterinarian) who have first-hand knowledge of the applicant¹s practice experience and educational interest.

"Past applicants and award winners demonstrate the wide variety of CE offerings that interest recent graduate veterinarians," Gingrich says. "There are many opportunities for cattle veterinarians to offer valuable services to their customers and the $5,000 AgriLabs awards assist these veterinarians in gaining the knowledge and expertise to continue to improve the health, welfare and productivity of the animals in their care. By utilizing the funds provided by AgriLabs, veterinarians can have a far reaching impact on the animals they have taken an oath to protect, the consuming public and the farmers and ranchers they serve."

The awards are open to individuals who graduated with a DVM/VMD degree between June 1, 2005, and June 1, 2016 and is currently serving in a veterinary practice. An applicant does not need to be a member of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners.

The professional-development opportunity described in the application can apply to either individual animal medicine (e.g., diagnosis, treatment, surgery, case management, pain management, patient welfare) or herd production medicine (e.g., records analysis, disease prevention, production enhancement, benchmarking, biosecurity, food safety). The award is intended for applicant-specific CE; the award is not intended for equipment purchase, debt relief or employee costs.

AgriLabs: Sustaining the Legacy of Continuing Education

These AgriLabs veterinary awards are named in honor of Bruce Wren, D.V.M., Ph.D., who is highly regarded for his commitment to both practical and formal continuing education.

"Dr. Wren¹s service to the profession as a practitioner, a teacher, a veterinary pathologist and a technical services veterinarian has been exemplary," says Schram. "AgriLabs is so pleased to give back to the profession in his name with this significant award. Whether the veterinarians receiving these $5,000 continuing education grants come from single-veterinarian or multi-practitioner practices, or from areas with high or low beef and dairy concentrations, this investment will be good for bovine medicine."

AgriLabsAgriLabs® is a leader in biological innovation for animal health in the United States. Through proprietary DNA platform and adjuvant technologies, AgriLabs is delivering the next generation of vaccine solutions for farm animals. These technologies ­ combined with other innovative products and the leading distribution network in the United States ­ uniquely position AgriLabs to improve animal health, nutrition and productivity.